


I Would Steal the Stars For You

by TheSouthernMoons



Series: LWA Extended [1]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Love Confessions, Post-Canon, Touch-Starved, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSouthernMoons/pseuds/TheSouthernMoons
Summary: Diana never liked being touched. A spunky witch named Akko is changing that
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Series: LWA Extended [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983344
Comments: 9
Kudos: 246





	1. Healing Cuddles

Diana was not one who enjoyed being touched. Well, at least not anymore. Back when she was a small child, she loved nothing more than to get a hug from her mother, or to cuddle up with her and a cup of cocoa on a cold winter night, or to hold her hand while they walked through their gardens, looking up at the stars. But that was a long time ago, and she had long since closed herself off.

She needed to, after all. Once her mother died, Diana had become the centerpiece of gossip throughout the magic world. What would happen to the Cavendish family? Would the young girl be able to handle being head of the family? Was this the end of the oldest witch family in Britain? The talk was insidious, and despite how hard she tried to avoid it, Diana simply couldn’t get away from it all. So, how did a young girl get through all the rumors and gossip and attempts to marry her off, even as a child? She closed herself off from the world, both emotionally and physically, and focused on her magic. It was easy. Or maybe, simple was a better word. She certainly didn’t enjoy it, but it worked.

And yet, despite all this, despite having denied anyone anything beyond a cursory handshake for almost ten years, despite trying as hard as she could to protect herself from the pain of being open, she found a rambunctious girl named Akko was doing her absolute best to knock down the door to Diana’s heart, the door she locked so long ago.

Akko was never one to make people uncomfortable on purpose. The first time she touched Diana, she had gotten worked up over a snide remark she had made about Shiny Chariot and gotten all up in her face. While waving her hands around, she unthinkingly put a hand on Diana’s shoulder, causing the taller girl to recoil and jump back, a startled look on her face. She stormed away, leaving Akko stunned, wondering what she did. Diana found her the next day and apologized, explaining that she didn’t like being touched. Akko also apologized profusely, saying over and over that she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Diana just huffed and told her she better not and left.

That was at the beginning of their first year at Luna Nova. Later in the year, Akko had followed Diana home after apparently quitting the school in an attempt to make her come back to Luna Nova. They didn’t tell anyone else what happened at the mansion, but the experience brought them much closer than before. That was when Akko started to try and break down Diana’s boundaries. She began by letting Diana initiate the contact; if they completed a class assignment, she would put out her hand for a high five. In the past, Diana would have just raised an eyebrow and walked away. Now, she would blush a little and give in if she thought no one was looking.

Slowly but surely, Akko progressed to showing more affection. A quick pat on the back, picking a leaf out of her hair when their friend group went outside for lunch, all done slowly and carefully so Diana would have time to get used to it. Of course, if she wanted, she could have stopped it once and for all and never progressed. But considering Akko ran after her and got bit by a cobra trying to help her, she figured she might as well humor the girl. Besides, it had been a _long_ time since she felt genuine affection, and even she had to admit that it was nice.

Some more time passed and, after the thrilling end of the Noir Missile Crisis, things were even more different. Long past were the quick touches on the back, or the awkward high fives. When Akko was excited and Diana was nearby, she would throw her arms around the blonde’s neck in glee, pulling her in tightly. If their friend group was out on a walk, Akko would take her hand and smile, swinging their arms back and forth. Constanze’s movie nights were fan favorites, and they usually ended up with Akko cuddling Diana in some way, whether she was sitting in her lap or insisted that Diana rest her head on her legs so she could play with her hair.

And Diana loved it all. She would never admit it publicly, but Akko’s constant affection had made her a significantly happier person. She actually looked forward to seeing the bubbly witch every day when before she had loathed it. In fact, Diana was making as many excuses to be with Akko as much as she could. Test coming up? She’d offer to tutor Akko; teaching was a great way to study after all, so she benefitted as well. After what Croix did, the school instituted a new rule that students leaving campus had to be in at least pairs of two, so whenever Diana wanted to go somewhere, she always had Akko go with her. She needed the broom flying practice, so it worked out.

Of course, this is just what she said to convince others that she was making reasonable decisions. The reality was, Diana was crushing hard on Akko, and though she felt no shame in that, she was afraid of what would happen if Akko found out. Surely, her feelings weren’t reciprocated. For months before she showed Diana affection, Akko was plastering all her friends with it. Lotte was the primary recipient, but Jasminka got hugs too, and even Sucy would let her loop their arms together if she was in a good mood. Diana was just new to this, so Akko was excited. It was a like a new toy for her, Diana guessed.

Truth be told, Diana was just afraid of rejection. Being the heiress to the Cavendish family, there weren’t many things she’d been denied in her life, and she was scared of finally losing something she wanted. So, for the time being, she was content with being a pining little wimp so long as it got her more affection from the most wonderful, gorgeous, incredible witch she had ever seen.

By Jennifer, she was gay for Akko.

After a couple months of this cowardice, Akko did perhaps the one thing that could break Diana completely. She asked for some time alone with her.

It was a Friday morning after the last midterm of the season, and Diana was minding her own business in the cafeteria when in walked Akko on a mission.

“Hey Diana,” the excitable girl half sang, eyes shining. “You busy tonight?”

“Not particularly,” came the slightly nonplussed reply. “Do you have plans?”

“Weeeell, Lotte and Sucy are gonna be out for some conventions, and Conz owed me a favor, so I got her projector for the night. We can hook it up to our Witch Net orbs and watch whatever we want!!” Akko was all smiles as she explained her master plan, looking expectedly at the blonde witch in front of her. “I have blankets and cocoa and some tarts I stole from the kitchen last night.” This last part she added quietly, giggling with a light blush. Jennifer, was she adorable.

“Seeing as how my schedule is empty, I think I will take you up on that offer,” she replied with a cool smile, alarms screaming in her brain. Akko’s happiness was infectious, and no matter how good at medical magic Diana was, she had no intention of finding a cure.

“Awesome!! Come by whenever you want after dinner and bring your pjs. It’ll be a sleepover!” She skipped away, humming a happy tune. Diana just shook her head and walked briskly, yet calmly, to the bathroom so she could wash her face and cool off. Akko had turned her into a red, blushing mess, and she hated how her hot her skin felt when that happened. Giving herself a quick slap, she stared at herself in the mirror and tried to give herself a pep talk.

“You are Diana Cavendish. You are stronger than some little schoolgirl crush. You can get through one sleepover with the most perfect, wonderful angel the world has ever seen oh my god I’m doomed…” She petered off and sunk her head down to the sink.

“Oh Diana, you’re even worse than I am, and that’s saying something.” Footsteps followed these words into the bathroom, and suddenly a tall, two-tone haired girl sauntered in and leaned against the wall, smirking at Diana. “What are we ever going to do with you?

“A-Amanda!” Her blush was back, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest in indignance, trying to not give Amanda the satisfaction of embarrassing her. “What could you possibly mean?” Amanda just sighed and came off the wall, walking over to stand by Diana’s side.

“Diana, I thought Akko was the biggest disaster on campus, but you’re really giving her a run for her money. At least she never had to pep talk herself in the mirror when she was crushing on Lotte.”

“Akko l-likes Lotte?!” Diana shot out, arms falling to her sides. “W-well, good for her. I’m glad she fancies such a sweet, cute girl.” She was trying her best to hide her disappointment, but Amanda just snorted laughing, putting a hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Diana, I said _was_ , like, past tense. That was months ago, at the beginning of the year. Didn’t you see how she clung to her and wanted to do everything with her?” Diana’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what Amanda just said. “She got over her crush around the time that incident with the bee happened.” She smirked, almost unable to keep a straight face in front of the tomato girl in front of her. “Good to know you’re basically in love with her, though. Don’t worry, I’ll let her know so she can ask you ou-” Diana cut her off, whipping her wand out and pointing it at her neck.

“You speak one word of this to Akko and I’ll turn your tongue into a scorpion,” she growled, her wand glowing a dangerous green.

“Sheesh, alright, alright, I was just kidding,” Amanda returned, throwing her hands up in the air. “You’re just fun to tease Diana, that’s all. I’ll let you get back to being hopeless on your own.” She ran from the bathroom, laughing as she did. Diana huffed and let out a loud groan, leaning back on to the sink.

“I am hopeless…” she muttered, not meeting her own eyes in the mirror. “But I just can’t put Akko in that position. She’s so nice, she would say yes just to make me happy, even if she doesn’t like me.” She stayed there for a little while, not thinking of much, until she decided she needed to get on with her day. She would worry about Akko that night.

Naturally, this didn’t work. For the rest of the day, anything she did made her think of the Japanese witch, whether it was when she took a walk outside and the sun reminded of her bright smile, or when she went looking for a book in the library and was reminded of the countless nights she’d found Akko in there, searching for signs of the Seven Words.

And so, after dinner, her resolve steeled and her emotions in a flutter, she walked over to Akko’s room, dressed in her nicest sleeping clothes. Hand shaking, she reached up slowly and quietly rapped on the door. A moment passed in which she considered running away, but then the door flew open, missing her nose by inches, and she was greeted by a smile.

“Diana! You came!” Akko yelled, grabbing the startled blonde’s wrist and pulling her into the room. She’d cleared off Sucy’s desk (without her permission, Diana guessed) and set the projector on it, pointed towards Akko’s bunk. On her bed, she set up blankets and pillows to make a sort of couch for them to lie on together. A thermos of hot water sat on Akko’s desk with various packets of tea and cocoa next to it, along with a couple of mugs, one with an ‘A’ and one with a ‘D’ painted on them.

Diana had never seen anything like this. She never had sleepovers as a child, or ever really, and she was very taken aback by the amount of the effort Akko had put in. Her heart was beating quickly, and she was sure her face was steaming, but one look at Akko told her she wasn’t alone. “Akko, are you okay? You’re rather red.”

“O-Oh, w-well,” she stammered, turning away. “I never really got to have sleepovers much as a kid, so I really wanted to make this one special, but I think I went a little overboard.” She laughed nervously at this. “I’m a little embarrassed.” After a moment, Diana faced her and smiled.

“Akko, I think this is wonderful. You did a great job setting this up. I’m sure we’ll have a great time.” The brunette beamed and pulled Diana to her bed, handing her a blanket and a pillow.

“Do you want cocoa, Diana? Or some tea, maybe? I asked Barbara and Hannah, and they said you like ka-mel-my-le tea or something, so I bribed a fairy to sneak me in some.”

“It’s pronounced chamomile, Akko. And I think I’ll save that for a little later if you don’t mind. It makes you sleepy.” She gave a soft smile and spread the blanket across her lap, leaning back into the pillows pile set out by her crush.

“Okay, cool!” Akko turned on the projector and sat next to Diana, handing her a mug of hot chocolate. She picked up her Witch Net orb and started scrolling through some menus. “I’ve got a surprise for you; I think it’ll be so much fun to watch!” Diana arched an eyebrow and looked inquisitively at the short girl next to her.

“Oh? And what might that be? Did you find some illegal bootlegs of Shiny Chariot?”

“Even better!” Akko said, eyes shining. “Apparently, they recorded almost all of her shows for her so she could watch them for practice and come up with new routines. When Chariot told me about this, I didn’t even have time to ask for the recordings, because she said she would send them all to me! So now, we get to have an exclusive Shiny Chariot throwback night!” Her smile was wider than her face, it seemed, and Diana couldn’t help but giggle at Akko’s enthusiasm.

“Well, then, this should be a fun night.” Akko just nodded excitedly and started playing the first show, snuggling into Diana’s shoulder and sipping her cocoa. In less than a minute, the two of them were transfixed on the marvel in front of them. Secretly, they had both been afraid that the shows wouldn’t be as amazing as they remembered; that since they were older now, they wouldn’t carry the same _magic_ as before.

They were wrong. Chariot’s way of ensnaring the audience with brilliant colors and spectacular illusions and transformations was still just as enchanting, and the girls were gasping and oohing and ahhing, cheering the red haired witch on whenever she needed the audience’s help at the end of the show. After they finished their drinks, Akko put the mugs away and returned to the bed, flopping her head into Diana’s lap, flustering the poor blonde immensely.

“A-Akko?” she stuttered. “W-What are you doing?”

“W-well,” Akko responded, blushing furiously, choosing pay attention to her orb to set up the next show instead of looking up at Diana. “U-Usually it’s you who gets to have your head in my lap and your hair played with, so I wanted a turn. Is that okay?” Diana didn’t trust herself to respond, so instead she nodded her very red face. Akko breathed a sigh of relief and turned on the next performance, her blush going strong.

Diana, for her part, couldn’t pay attention to the screen. She was too focused on panicking about Akko’s head being in her lap. After a couple minutes, she slowly dared a hand down to the mass of brown hair on her legs. Seeing no negative reaction, she reached down with her other hand and started to softly pet it and comb her fingers through it. Akko sighed contentedly and nuzzled a little more into Diana’s lap, and the blonde girl’s smile grew wider with every passing moment. Soon she was back to paying attention to the shows playing out in front of them, passively making various small braids in the brunette’s hair. It was the happiest she’d been in a decade, at least since her mom passed. They went on like this for a while, reminiscing about their childhood hero and watching the performances they never got to see, laughing and generally having a wonderful time.

Then, after a short bathroom break, Akko switched on the next one, and less than a minute in, they both gasped. “Wait, rewind. Was that…” Diana was shocked, and so was Akko, who quickly turned back the video, pausing when they both saw it. A small girl with blonde hair and faint green highlights, completely enraptured, blue eyes reflecting the bright magical show going on.

“Diana, is that you?” Akko was smiling almost as wide as the girl on screen. Stunned, Diana simply nodded, unable to speak. “You were so cuuuute!” she squealed, looking up at the older version who’s lap she was currently laying in. “I know we both saw a show, but I didn’t think we’d see ourselves in the audience!” Suddenly, she sat up, startling the British witch. “WAIT! Oh, sorry Diana, but I just realized something. I was at this show too! Let’s find me!” she said excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Akko started the video again, looking intently at the screen, trying to find herself. Within a couple of minutes, she squealed again, grabbing Diana’s hand and pointing at the screen. “Diana look, it’s me! I was so tiny and cute, huh? Wasn’t I?” Beaming, she turned to her friend, who she found sitting still, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “Diana, are you okay?” She squeezed the hand she held and looked straight at her, worry all over her face.

Diana swallowed hard and looked away from Akko, returning the pressure to the hand holding hers. “Th-this show… it w-was one of the l-last things I did with my m-m-mother…b-before” She could hardly say a word without her voice breaking, the tears finally rolling down her face. Akko sat silent for just a moment, before wrapping her arms around her friend.

“I’m sorry, Diana. I should’ve thought of that before showing you these recordings.” She hugged her tighter, petting her blonde hair softly. “I’m sorry to bring your pain back.”  
  
Diana reached her arms up to grip the brunette’s shoulders, burying her face into her neck, quietly sobbing. “N-no, I’m s-sorry. I-it was ten y-years ago, I sh-should be o-over it by now.” Between the sobs and Akko’s neck pressed into her face, it was nearly impossible for her to get a word out.

“No, Diana. You never have to ‘be over it’. It doesn’t matter how long it has been, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. You’re allowed to be sad.”

“I-I just… no one ever c-c-cared. T-they acted like I-I should have b-been ready f-for it, because she w-was sick for so l-long.” Akko planted a soft kiss on Diana’s head and gently pulled her down so they were lying on the bed, still wrapped up in a tight hug. “I n-never g-got to grieve p-p-properly. I j-just bottled it u-up, shoved i-it away.” Her sobs were long and heavy, and Akko could feel her entire body shake every time she breathed. “I-”

“Shhh, don’t talk anymore, Diana,” Akko said in a low, soft voice. “Just cry. Grieve now, get everything out. Just cry, as long as you need.” She pulled the blanket over them and held the crying girl, stroking her hair, giving her little kisses every now and then, squeezing her tightly.

It was a long time before the sobs died down. Once they did, Diana meekly looked up from Akko’s neck to see the brunette smiling softly at her. She sniffled and gazed into those red eyes she had drawn comfort from so many times before.

“You any better?” Akko asked, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Diana’s face.

“Mmm hmm,” she nodded, pulling an arm away from the hug to wipe her tears. “I’m sorry to ruin your fun Chariot night, Akko.” The Japanese witch shook her head and smiled again.

“No, don’t be sorry. You needed this. If it were me, you would have done the same.” She thought for a second, then let out a small laugh. “Actually, you kinda did do this for me before.” Diana blinked in confusion, trying to remember.

“I did?”

“Yeah. Watching that show jogged my memory. That performance must have been when I, well we, lost our magic. And when I found out that it was Chariot’s fault that I couldn’t do magic, I was crushed. I couldn’t believe it. My whole life I had wanted to be like her, only to be told she was the very reason I couldn’t.” Akko laughed and sat up a little, leaning against a pillow on the wall. “Honestly, after that, Diana, you’re the only reason I’m still here.”

Diana sat up to join Akko, her eyes, still red and puffy from crying, wide with shock. “The only reason you’re still here? You don’t mean…” She trailed off, not wanting to say it.

After realizing what Diana meant, Akko shook her head vigorously. “No no no, not that! I was just, well, I was gonna leave Luna Nova.” She stared into Diana’s blue eyes and continued. “I figured that, with how my magic had been stolen, I would never be able to become a witch. Plus, I didn’t think I could manage going to the school where Shiny Chariot, my hero and ruiner, worked. I was thinking all this when you found me in that snow filled park.” Akko smiled at the blonde and continued.

“You dragged me back to the coffee shop and you refused to take my sadness as a valid excuse for me to give up. You told me how you were in the same situation, and how you overcame it. You even gave me your prized possession, a super-ultra-mega-rare-premium edition Shiny Chariot card! You saved me, from myself and my own self-doubt. You kept me on my path when I would have hated myself forever if I’d quit. So of course I would do anything for you. Of course, when I saw you crying and needing love a few minutes ago, I would give it to you.” Her voice wavered and she choked up, blinking back tears of her own. “You’re the most important person to me in the world, Diana. I would steal the stars for you if you wanted. After what you did for me, it would only be fair.”

Diana could hardly believe what she was hearing. Akko, the always spunky, smiling, kind of dopey witch, was being so mature and emotionally vulnerable with her. She reached up to wipe a tear that had fallen down her best friend’s face. “You’re… you’re incredibly important to me too, Akko.” She blushed again, and suddenly she realized how tired she was. “Can we sleep now? It turns out feeling things and crying are exhausting.” Akko gave a small laugh and nodded, bringing them down again, holding her tight.

“’Night, Diana,” she breathed quietly, burying her head in the blonde’s chest.

“Good night, Akko,” came the soft reply.


	2. A Show Just For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After that night, Akko and Diana grew much closer, but they still hadn't confessed. What'll it take to get the two girls together?

A couple weeks passed since Diana and Akko’s heart to heart sleepover, and they’d only gotten closer since. Now, whenever they could spend time together, they did. Homework, studying, projects, meals, weekend trips around the country for Diana to research some new document or artifact. They didn’t care what it was, they just wanted to be with each other.

This isn’t to say they were dating, of course. Despite that night, or maybe even more so because of it, neither of them had managed to confess their feelings. They were both terrified of losing the friendship they had built up, and the thought of making things awkward and not being able to repeat a situation like that if they needed to put a full stop to any thoughts of telling the other how they felt. Couple that with how dense the two girls were, and you had yourself more pining than an evergreen forest.

Everyone else could see this, but Chariot and Amanda, surprisingly, had threatened anyone who tried to let slip to one that the other was crushing so hard. The two of them knew how fragile the relationship was at the time, and they weren’t going to let anyone ruin it for the girls. Of course, they wanted Diana and Akko to get together; everyone and their mother did. They just wanted it to happen on their own terms.

But, it was taking _way_ too long, and they were getting impatient, so they called a meeting of the New Nine Witches, minus the two in question, and Croix of course (she was still in jail, though her parole hearing was coming up). Amanda had written “Getting the dumb lesbians together planning session” on the black board, and she stood at the front of the room wearing eye black and a camo helmet.

“Alright, girls, we have some dense, hopeless lovebirds in our friend group, and they aren’t working fast enough, so we’re gonna help out. Any ideas?”

Sucy raised her hand “I made a potion that removes people’s inhibitions, we could give them that and they would do it themselves.”

“Sucy you just fermented some grapes and added mint leaves. That’s alcohol, not a potion,” Lotte sighed, shaking her head. The pink haired girl just shrugged and put her hand down.

“What about dinner and a movie?” Jasminka threw out, putting a hand on Constanze’s head and ruffling her hair. “The two of us could set that up real easily.”

“Nah, they’ve kinda done that before. Besides, that wouldn’t be natural if we shoved them into a room to do that,” Amanda said. She turned toward Chariot and raised an eyebrow. “Any ideas, professor?”

She thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. “Well, knowing Akko, if she were to confess to Diana, she would want to do it by impressing her with some magic first. Maybe I could teach her something that looks cool and convince her to show Diana at a conveniently romantic time.” She wondered aloud.

“Ooh, that would be so cute!” Lotte said excitedly. “Maybe we could do like _Nightfall_ Volume 187 where there’s a love confession on the moon!”

“The moon, Lotte?” Sucy deadpanned. “And how exactly are we going to get them there?”

“W-well, I guess it’d be pretty hard to…” Just then, the door opened, and in walked Hannah and Barbara.

“We were walking by and heard some talking about getting Akko and Diana together, how do we help?” Hannah said.

“You guys want to help?” Amanda asked, shocked.

“We’re pretty tired of Diana’s pining and if we can finally get those clueless idiots together, we’re in.” Barbara replied.

“Okay, well, Chariot is gonna teach Akko some cool magic to impress Diana with, and now we’re trying to think of where and when we can convince her to do it.”

“Ooh, in _Nightfall_ 187-” Barbara began before being cut off by Lotte.

“I already suggested that one, Barbara. They said no,” she said sadly.

“What? But it was so cute, and their space suits bonked when they tried to kiss…” Barbara was almost as dejected as Lotte and threw her arms around her neck in solidarity.

“… Ignoring whatever is happening over there,” Amanda started, “Hannah, is there somewhere that Diana likes a lot that seeing Akko be amazing there would make her want to just pounce?”

“Well, not like she would pounce, but I know Akko helped Diana out a lot regarding her feelings about her mother. Maybe somewhere that makes her think of that? I know they would take walks in their garden or look out at the lake at the Cavendish Manor.”

“Perfect!” Amanda shouted. “Now, how do we get them there?”

“You all have that group research project coming up over spring break, right?” Chariot spoke up. “What if you convinced Diana to invite you all to the grounds so you can research the Cavendish medical magic history? Then, Akko knowing how important some of those places are to Diana, she’ll take her out to show her the magic.”

“You really think she’ll think of that?” Sucy asked. “This _is_ Akko we’re talking about.”

“Diana is like half of what she thinks about these days,” Chariot said. “If she learns flashy magic and is put in a situation where she can show it off to Diana in a meaningful way, she’ll do it.” The rest of the girls nodded and looked at Amanda, who grinned and threw up a fist.

“Alright, we have a plan. Time to commence operation Diakko!”

“I like Akkordian more,” Barbara chimed in.

“Who cares, let’s just get it done,” Sucy complained, everybody laughing.

Later that day, Chariot found Akko at dinner and asked to meet her in her office at 9 pm that night. Normally, an invite from her idol would make her ecstatic, but for some reason Akko was really worried. “What’s wrong? Do you think I messed up on that last test? Or maybe she knows that I took a tart last night and she’s gonna make me clean Alcor’s cage as punishment, or, or…” Diana enveloped her in a quick hug.

“Akko, this is Chariot we’re talking about. Everyone knows you’re her favorite; you’re basically her daughter.” Akko blushed heavily at that, burying her face in Diana’s shoulder.

“Diaannaa,” she whined. “Don’t say that, it’s so embarrassing.” Diana laughed and let go of the hug, revealing Akko’s pouting face.

“Well, anyway, you should go. Who knows, maybe she wants to start training her successor?” Akko’s eyes went wide.

“No way, you really think so?” Diana just nodded and went to finish her meal. From that point, until 8:50 pm when Akko left her room headed for Chariot’s office, she was buzzing with excitement.

She didn’t even get a chance to knock on the door of the office before the door swung open. Seeing the confused look on Akko’s face, Chariot laughed and ushered her inside. “I heard your footsteps. You were making quite a bit of noise coming up the hallway.” Akko blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Heh heh, I guess I was excited,” she replied nervously. “So, what did you want from me?” She was back to her bouncy self, leaning forward on the tips of her toes.

“Well, now that your magic is returning and you can do more complicated spells, I thought it was time I started giving you private lessons on illusion magic,” she said, looking down at the bundle of joy in front of her.

“Illusion magic? Not transformation?” Akko asked, cocking her head to the side.

“You can already do transformation pretty well, Akko. I figured illusion magic would be a refreshing new thing to study.” Akko beamed at her teacher and nodded. “Okay then, let’s get started.”

Around the same time, Diana was studying in her room when Barbara and Hannah came back from a late-night supplementary class. “Hi Diana, no Akko tonight?” Hannah said, smirking.

“No, Professor Chariot wanted her for something, so she’s up in her office now,” Diana replied, cracking her neck. “And what exactly was that supposed to mean, anyway?” She shot a look at the two girls.

“Nothing, just, you two have spent a lot of time together recently, so it’s unusual to see you separate,” Barbara said, putting her bag down next to her bed. Diana looked up at the ceiling, thinking for a second.

“Well, I guess that makes sense. We do most things together these days,” she said slowly. Glancing behind her, she saw the other two laughing. “What are you two so enamored by?”

“We just think it’s sweet that you have such a close friend now, Diana. You were never this way before, and you’ve seemed way happier ever since,” Hannah stated matter-of-factly. “We’re happy to see you this way.”

Diana blushed a little and turned back to her studying, brushing off the giggles coming from the other side of the room. “…thanks girls. That means a lot.”

“Anyway,” Barbara began, walking back over to Diana. “You know that group research project we have for second year seminar?” Diana nodded. “Well, we ran into Lotte and Amanda on the way back from the class and we got to talking about it, and we were wondering…” She stopped, unsure of herself.

“We were wondering if our three rooms could all research medical magic at your manor over break,” Hannah called from across the room. “There isn’t really much to learn about that here, and we all think it would be really interesting. Plus, the Cavendish’s are like the most famous medical magic family ever, so it would be really nice if-”

“Sure,” Diana replied quickly. Hannah and Barbara stared at her, and then at each other. “What?”

“Well, we just didn’t think it would be so easy,” Hannah replied, Barbara nodding in agreement.

“It sounds interesting. Besides,” she added, “despite how… chaotic the group can be, it would be fun to have friends visit long term for the first time. I’ll get Daryl and her daughters out for a week, somehow, and then we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

“Well, great!” Barbara said. “We’ll tell the other girls.” They got up and left, leaving Diana sitting alone at her desk. Honestly, the real reason she agreed was so she could get Akko in one of her favorite places. Maybe that would get her confidence up enough to finally confess her feelings.

She dropped her head on her desk and sighed. No, that would never happen. She wasn’t strong enough, she thought, but at least they would have fun.

……

Over the next few weeks, Diana and Akko saw each other less and less. Though it was hurting both of them, Diana definitely seemed more affected out of the two.

“I know you’re busy with this project Chariot gave you, Akko, but are you sure you have to spend so much time on it?” Diana asked one night at dinner. “Just, you haven’t even come to Constanze’s movie nights recently.” Akko wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see a small pout forming on Diana’s face.

“I’m sorry Diana, but this project is really important to me, and I promise it’ll pay off for you too when I’m done.” She reached out and grabbed Diana’s hand, giving it a soft squeeze. “It’s only one more week. I should be done by spring break, so we’ll get to spend some time together during the research assignment.”

“That would be nice, Akko. I just… I just miss my best friend.” They smiled at each other, locking eyes. “And her amazing hugs,” she added, giggling.

“Ughh I KNOW,” Akko groaned. “I’ve never gone this long with so little physical affection. I barely even have time to hug Lotte or Sucy, and I live with them.” The two girls laughed finishing their food talking about nothing for the rest of dinner.

And so, the week finished with nothing to note. The nine girls, plus Chariot as project sponsor and chaperone, packed up their bags and met at the Leyline terminal, and then they were off to the Cavendish manor. Upon arrival, all of them except Akko, Hannah, and Barbara, who had all been there before, were wowed by the magnificent splendor of the grounds. Diana showed them to their rooms and called a meeting in the lounge at the end of the hall.

“All right girls, here’s the plan. We can relax for today and start work tomorrow. Six days is plenty of time for the project, and you should get acquainted with the property. So long as you’re careful and don’t damage anything and treat the grounds respectfully, you can use the facilities as you wish. We’ll have lunch at noon and dinner at 6, so if you want to eat, be in the dining room by then. That’s all.”

Immediately, Barbara grabbed Lotte by the hand and dragged her, blushing, straight to the library. Sucy and Constanze headed toward the labs to do some experimenting, Jasminka decided to go to the kitchen to grab a snack, and Amanda was goading Hannah on until, bright red in the face, she agreed to go ‘treasure hunting’ with her, whatever that meant. Chariot had already left to take a nap, so that left Diana and Akko alone together in the lounge.

They smiled at each other as Akko tackled Diana into a hug, relishing in holding her tight. “I missed this,” Diana said, squeezing Akko back.

“I did too,” Akko replied quietly. Presently, they released the hug, but Akko still held Diana’s shoulders. “What should we do?” she asked. Diana blushed a little and looked at the ground.

“I kind of wanted to take you to some of the places my mom and I would go to when I was younger,” she began nervously. “I thought, after that night we had, that it would be nice if I told you more about her…”

Akko smiled at her and her shoulder a tender rub. “That would be really nice, Diana. I would love that.” For the rest of the day, Diana gave Akko a special tour of the manor, going over almost all of her favorite spots. They walked the gardens and admired the flowers, Diana explaining what each one was called and what it was used for. Then, they went up to her mother’s old room to look at photo albums, Akko squealing over how cute tiny Diana was, making the blonde girl blush. After that, they visited the Diana’s old playroom where she and her mother spent many days reading and playing with toys and games together. By then, it was dinner time, so they joined up with the rest of the research team in the dining room and got caught up on what the other girls spent their day doing.

Lotte and Barbara had a competition to see who could read more books, and Lotte barely won at 6, earning Barbara’s dessert for the night. Sucy and Constanze had collaborated to build a potion-making robot, one that could safely brew dangerous mixes. Jasminka ended up talking with the chef about traditional Russian cooking all day and together they cooked the borscht being served for dinner. Hannah and Amanda said they did their treasure hunt but didn’t end up finding anything; Hannah’s collar was suspiciously raised, and Amanda kept grinning at her throughout the meal, making her blush. Chariot had just napped all day; between her normal teacher duties and supervising Akko’s project, she hadn’t been sleeping enough, and before she knew it, dinner time had come.

After eating, the girls gathered in the lounge while Constanze set up her projector and Jasminka went back to the kitchen to help with dessert. They all plopped down on the couches and got ready to watch some movies. Akko, of course, was cuddled up to Diana, which normally would have made the others snicker if they weren’t doing the same. Amanda had rather forcefully pulled Hannah into her lap, though she didn’t seem to mind. Lotte and Barbara were sitting side by side, discretely holding hands. Sucy sat alone, and Jasminka came back with cake for everyone and sat down next to Constanze, giving her the biggest piece with the most frosting, causing the tiny German girl to blush slightly. Even Chariot was there, happy to spend some casual time with her favorite students.

They put on a typical horror flick, courtesy of Amanda, so that half the girls were screaming at the jump scares. Akko was particularly bad, burying her face into Diana’s neck after an especially bad one, crying slightly. Diana just patted her head and smiled, pulling her closer. After the movie, Akko, Lotte, Hannah, and Barbara insisted the next movie be a comedy, so following a quick bathroom break and a run for popcorn and drinks, they continued. This one was much better received, with even Sucy laughing out loud at several points. It was nearly 11 pm once the second movie was done, and everyone was tired, having flown for an hour to get there that morning.

As they all separated to go sleep for the night, Akko grabbed Diana’s hand and pulled her aside. “Hey, Diana? Before we all go to bed, I have a surprise for you. Is that okay?” She was blushing pretty hard, but she kept her eyes locked on the blonde witch’s.

“Of course, Akko. Is this related to your project with Professor Chariot?” Diana replied. Akko just nodded and started walking, still holding Diana’s hand, inviting her to follow. She led them out of the manor, at which point Diana was getting confused. “Akko? Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see.” Akko flashed her a smile, and Diana stumbled, losing her concentration for a moment. They turned out of the garden and headed down toward the lake. Diana saw the old rowboat was tied up to the short dock, and she wondered if that was part of Akko’s scheme.

“Akko, are you planning on using that rowboat? I don’t know if that’s a good idea. It hasn’t been maintained in years.”

“Don’t worry, that’s part of the surprise,” Akko replied, letting go of her hand to pull out her wand and a small vial. She threw the contents on the boat and recited the repair spell, and after a few seconds of glowing, the boat was as good as new. Diana stared shocked at the boat, then shifted her attention to the grinning witch beside her.

“Akko, you can do proper restoration magic now! That’s so great, I’m proud of you,” she said excitedly, hugging the shorter girl. Akko chuckled and hugged her back.

“That’s only part one of the surprise.” she said, waving the blonde girl in. Diana giggled and sat down. Akko followed her in and grabbed the oars, untying the boat and beginning to row them out into the lake. It was a windless night, and except for the wake created by the boat gliding across the water, the lake was mirror smooth.

Once they reached the middle, Akko dropped an anchor and turned to face Diana, gesturing at her lap. “Okay, Diana, come and lay your head down here.” Raising an eyebrow, Diana obeyed, laying her head on Akko’s legs and looking up at the sky. “You comfy?” Akko asked, to which Diana responded by nodding. Akko took a deep breath and pulled out her wand again. “Well, here goes nothing.”

Muttering under her breath, the tip of her wand began to glow brightly, until a ball of light shot up into the air and popped, creating a dark dome 50 feet in diameter around the two girls. As Akko kept mumbling and slowly waving her wand, stars began to slowly form in the roof of the dome. Gathering together, they started swirling around like galaxies flying through space. After that, a meteor shower came, flashing in all kinds colors, crisscrossing and shooting all over the place. Then, for the finale, the stars spread back out, and there was a constellation slideshow, showing a young girl walking through a garden with what looked to be her mother, ending with them embracing in a heart of stars.

The entire time, Diana was enraptured, hand over her open mouth, tears sitting in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment. Once the slideshow ended, Akko stopped muttering, but the star dome stayed. She smiled wearily at Diana, chuckling a little. “How was it, Diana?”

“It… I… Akko, how… how did you do this?” Diana asked barely able to form a sentence.

“Well, that ‘project’ I was doing with Chariot was actually her teaching me illusion magic. While I was training, I thought it would be nice if the first show I made was just for you, so I tried to imagine what would make you happy. Obviously I had to include you and your mother.” She smiled more, a hopeful look in her eyes. “I also told you that one time that I would steal the stars for you, but because I couldn’t actually do that, I decided to make stars and space the theme.”

“Akko…” she said, the tears finally flowing. “Akko, it was beautiful. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It was incredible.” She reached up to cup the brunette’s cheeks. “It was perfect. Thank you so, so, so much.” Now Diana smiled, her blue eyes shining in the magical starlight. “I don’t know how I could ever repay this to you.”

Akko just shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. “Diana, you don’t need to repay me. I did this for you because I wanted to. Because I…” she choked on her words but willed herself to continue. “Because I love you, Diana!” Diana gasped, hands falling from Akko’s face. “I love you Diana, more than anyone or anything. I’ve loved you since I don’t know when. All I know is that when I see your face, when I hold your hand, when I hear your laugh, I’m just filled with such indescribable joy. You were there at my lowest point; you saved me, and I can never repay you for that.” She was full on crying now, eyes closed and tears dripping off her face into Diana’s hair.

“I doubt you love me back, not like I love you. I mean, you’re Diana Cavendish, and I’m just some no name witch from a non-magical family halfway across the world. I can barely do magic as well as the rest of the students, and-” She was cut off by a pair of warm lips pressed against hers. Her eyes shot open and she saw Diana leaning up from her spot on Akko’s lap, soft lips touching her own, one hand on her cheek, the other pulling her down by her collar.

Akko’s brain turned off as she melted into the kiss, bringing a hand down to support Diana’s head, cradling her face. They sat there for some amount of time, neither knew how long, and eventually they separated. Diana sat up and faced Akko properly, smiling shyly, face red.

“D-Diana,” Akko panted, catching her breath. “W-what was that?” Diana just giggled, taking the Japanese girl’s hands in her own and squeezing them.

“Jeez Akko, I knew you were dense, but this is crazy.” She laughed a little and brought one of her hands up to kiss it. “You just told me you loved me, and I just kissed you in response. What do you think that means, dummy?” Akko shook her head and just stared at her, too shocked to form words. Diana laughed again.

“Well, let me spell it out for you. I. Diana. Cavendish. Love. You. Dearly. Atsuko. Kagari.” She punctuated each word with a kiss on Akko’s impossibly red face. “What do you say to that, sweetheart?”

Akko swallowed hard and steeled herself, leaning forward. “I… I love you more, Diana Cavendish!” They sat there, deep red eyes staring straight into bright blue ones. Diana smirked and closed the distance left between them, pressing their foreheads together.

“Let’s test that theory, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, so I wrote both chapters of this today. I guess I just caught the writing bug.   
> Anyway, I thought it would be cute if Akko's first original show was custom made for Diana and that's how they confessed their love for each other, and this was the result of that.  
> Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I love these two so much. I wanted to look at the concept of Diana being forced to act like her mother's death didn't affect her, since she had to be "perfect", and having Akko console her about it seemed so sweet  
> Don't worry, the real love comes in next chapter.


End file.
